Good morning ladies and gentlemen, leaders and candidates of our great party, members of the coalition for good governance, the civil society groups, our stakeholders and gentlemen of the press…
It has become very necessary to address this press conference, informing the world democratic institutions, Nigerians and the good people of Abia State of the democratic aviaries and electioneering malfeasance that is ongoing in Abia State via the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission(ABSIEC) headed by Prof. Chima George and under the direct supervision of the Abia State Government.
Upon the grand pronouncement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria over the Local Government Areas autonomy, there was a nationwide jubilation that is now going back to the people.
This development set the stage for a new constitutionally recognized leadership of the Local Government Areas across the federation.
State Governments took turns to announce their dates for the conduct of the Local Government Areas elections. Abia State was not left out, as the government announced that LGA Elections will take place on the 2nd of November 2024.
The governor went ahead to appoint and inaugurate a new leadership for the State electoral body ABSIEC headed by Prof. Chima George. Thereafter, ABSIEC released a detailed timetable and guidelines for the proposed elections.
Going by this timetable, and the pronouncements occasioned by the outcome of the purported expanded stakeholders (The dissolution of all categories of leadership in the party) meeting held in Umuahia and the entire confusion, National Leadership of our party ably led by Bar. Julius Abure appointed a 7-man election management committee to coordinate and oversee the planning, preparation and others to make sure we succeed in the election.
This committee is being led by Hon. Ceekay Igara as Chairman, sent notice for the primary election and indeed all other relevant documents to ABSIEC with letters of our appointment and subsequent notifications for the selection process of our candidates via well attended primaries across the LGAs.
Our candidates emerged and then transmitted to the electoral body for further clearance and eventual publication.
On the 25th of October 2024, after ABSIEC had failed in their own timeline and guidelines for the election, they finally published the list of cleared candidates where the Labour Party candidates were listed as cleared with the exception of a few omitted names with the promise to rectify these omitted ones immediately.
These brought some relief, succour and reaffirm our trust for the already battered image of the commission. Some of our stakeholders took pictures of the published names and encouraged candidates to embark on their respective campaigns.
In an ugly turn of event, on that same day the 25th of October 2024, we were notified of a clandestine move by the commission after receiving a phone call from someone, and decided to remove the already published list of Labour Party cleared candidates, which according to them is due to an order from above.
We waited in earnest to see if the Prof Chima led ABSIEC would do the honourable thing, till just yesterday and to our amazement, they came up with an entirely strange list that is alien to the party and a complete contravention to the precepts of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and that of the ABSIEC.
It is important to state here that the list of candidates as submitted by Abia State Labour Party under the leadership of Prince G.O Ndubueze was well received and duly acknowledged by the ABSIEC. It’s important to remind ABSIEC now that a Federal High Court in Abuja and An Appeal Court in Benin have all affirmed and validated the National Convention and
Leadership of the Labour Party.
Hence, here that State leadership of Labour Party is aware of the sinister move by some elements within the Abia State Government to ensure that there won’t be a free and fair election by releasing elections materials to specific areas and that the Labour Party candidates are denied of their rights to participate in the scheduled election.
We are therefore stating here that we will not allow this malfeasance to stand. And we shall explore every available legal option to insist on the right thing to be done.
God bless you all for making it out here for this engagement.
Sign
Hon. Prince GO Ndubueze
State Chairman
Labour Party Abia State.